Chapter 25: Entrusting the True Dharma

25.1Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, empower this formulation of the Dharma so that it may be circulated in the latter time.”

25.2The Blessed One replied, “Lord of the Guhyakas, do you remember the words that protect the form of the Dharma, which were heard by me in the presence of the realized one Ratnacandra, so that I would take possession of the true Dharma?”

“I remember them, Blessed One.”

25.3“If that is so, Lord of the Guhyakas,” said the Blessed One, “then speak those words that protect the form of the Dharma here in the assembly so that this formulation of the Dharma lasts for a long time. Then this formulation of the Dharma will, indeed, last for a long time.”

25.4Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then paid homage to all the buddhas of the ten directions and spoke the words of the mantra: [F.199.b]

25.5tadyathā | jaya jayamati | jaya śatru | ale | amale | alulite | mame | mamamati | nāmasandhi | udtame | udtamati | udtaraṇi | are aramaṇi | ariśamaṇi | amūle | amūla | abadṭiti | mūlaanugate | adte | madte | maṭite | aṭi | maṭite | khurukhuru | sandhidharmaanugate | dharmadakṣe | dharmapraveśe | saresaresare | abedhe | bedasandhi | ehi | ehini | etadaanugame | defeating the māras | crushing the rival ascetics | bewildering those who hate the Dharma | blowing away the afflictions | shining light on the ways of the Dharma | protecting the discourses of the Dharma | entering nirvāṇa | grasping on to those who make beings ready for awakening | establishing an assembly | giving the body to those who have heard the Dharma | gaining the attention of those who have gone the right way | gaining the sight of those who have obtained what is right | manifesting the words of the mantra | gathering the interstices of the mantra | knowledge declaring | continuation | not liable to oppression | may the true nature of the teaching not perish | |

25.6The very next moment after Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, spoke these words of the mantra, this cosmos of a billion worlds shook. The māras in this cosmos of a billion worlds approached the Blessed One, along with their armies and their retinues, their bodies bent over in a crouch and their arms outstretched, palms together in a gesture of salutation, and they said this to the Blessed One:

25.7“We will attend upon and serve the preacher of the Dharma from whose mouth the words of this mantra issue, Blessed One. This world with its gods cannot endure the splendor of the words of this mantra, Blessed One. [F.200.a] We will keep this formulation of the Dharma safe, Blessed One, and we will hold back anyone else who looks for a way to penetrate it.”

25.8Then, at that moment, after thoroughly surveying the four directions with the gaze of a bull elephant, the Blessed One spoke the words of this mantra:

25.9jaye | durjaye | jayamati | śame | śatrunirghatani | amūle | mūlaparichinne | mārasainyavitrāsani | mugte mugtavati | śuddhe | abhede | bhayamocani | bharoharaṇe | tad te vidye | vidyavaraudtame | repelling the proponents of other doctrines | gathering the proponents of the Dharma | protecting the treasury of the Dharma | this incantation revealed by the buddhas | ama | amame | mamacchede | arthe arthanistāraṇe | words summoning the four Lokapālas are spoken | dhire | dhiravati | gubte | śubhe śubhavati | same | the summoning here of Śakra, Lord of the Gods, will be done | maitre somavati | kṣānti­kṛpakāruṇaudahṛde | prītiupe­kṣasamapante | the summoning here of Brahmā too will be done | araṭe | viraṭe | kha khe | amūle | mūlaśodhani | for the purpose of repelling Māra | these words of the mantra are spoken | this well-spoken sūtra | empowered by the lord of men | will be practiced in the time | in which it will be known | these mantras that were spoken | have made the earth shake | and assembled all the māras | who have spoken this speech | we will protect | those preachers of the Dharma | into whose hands will go | this sūtra in the latter time | |

25.10The Blessed One then spoke to Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas: “Know, Lord of the Guhyakas, that this formulation of the Dharma has been empowered by the Realized One alone. It is not possible for anyone to disturb this empowerment. Why is that? Lord of the Guhyakas, I remember [F.200.b] that a realized one named Ratnacandra arose in the past during an eon called Aninditā in a world called Aninditā . At that time, there were two monks in the dispensation of that blessed buddha, and they were preachers of the Dharma with great superhuman power, great exalted status, and great majestic power. Their names were Prajñodgata and Satyadatta.

25.11“These two preachers of the Dharma retained the words of the mantra from that blessed one and for half an eon they followed to perfection the wheel of Dharma that had been turned by that blessed one, during which time all the billions of māras in that cosmos of a billion worlds were brought to maturity and propelled toward awakening.”

25.12At this point, the bodhisattva Śāntamati asked the Blessed One, “Does the realized one Ratnacandra remain, Blessed One, or has he already passed into complete cessation?”

25.13“The realized one Ratnacandra remains in Aninditā , which is more than ten trillion buddha domains to the east, Śāntamati,” the Blessed One answered. “The lifespan of that realized one is ten thousand eons. Moreover, noble son, the māras in that realized one’s buddha domain were wrathful and wicked, and they were tamed, well and truly tamed, by the words of this mantra, and all of them were brought to maturity for the sake of their awakening.

25.14“What is more, noble son, Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, and I led the holy life in the dispensation of the realized one Ratnacandra, and we became adepts for the sake of awakening. I was the one named Prajñodgata, and the Lord of the Guhyakas was the one named Satyadatta. [F.201.a] For so it is, Śāntamati, that together we have served with care an immeasurable number of buddhas, honored them, respected them, and worshiped them. For so it is, too, Śāntamati, that these highly effective mantras are employed in order to defeat the māras and to take hold of the true Dharma.”

25.15At that point, the Blessed One surveyed the whole assembly and spoke thus: “Who among you, friends, has the courage to support and take hold of this awakening, accomplished over an incalculable length of time, so that it does not disappear when the Realized One has entered complete cessation?”

25.16Then, in order to take hold of the true Dharma, twelve thousand bodhisattvas from within the assembly rose to their feet, and they knelt down on their right knees, and bowing down to the Blessed One with their palms joined together in a gesture of salutation, they spoke this verse:

25.18Then five thousand gods, including Bhadrarāja, joined their palms together in a gesture of salutation and said this to the Blessed One: “We will support the Realized One’s awakening, Blessed One.” Then they spoke this verse:

25.20Then Śakra, Lord of the Gods, Brahmā Śikhin, and the Great King Vaiśravaṇa spoke this verse:

25.22Then Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, said this to the Blessed One: “I, too, Blessed One, will remember the unsurpassable and perfect awakening of the Realized One, accomplished over an incalculable eon.” He then spoke a verse, too: [F.201.b]

25.24The Blessed One then said to Brahmā Śikhin, “There are three forms of worship and service to the Realized One that cannot be surpassed, Brahmā, unsurpassable acts of worship that generate immeasurable merit. What are these three? They are conceiving the aspiration for unsurpassable and perfect awakening, remembering the Dharma of the realized ones, and bringing one’s conduct into alignment with the Dharma precisely as one has learned it. Brahmā, these are the three forms of worship and service to the Realized One that cannot be surpassed. Even if the Realized One remained for an eon, Brahmā, and he spent the entire eon describing the outcomes of the merit generated by those three forms of worship, he still would not complete the description. Therefore, Brahmā, one who wishes to worship the Realized One with worship and service that cannot be surpassed should perform worship using these three forms of worship.

25.25“If one remembers a single four-line verse from the true Dharma of a single realized one, then, Brahmā, the awakening of the realized ones of the past, present, and future will be retained. The reason for this, Brahmā, is that the awakening of the realized ones is something that arises from the Dharma. Therefore, one should perform worship with the Dharma, and not with material objects. Worship with the true Dharma is said to be supreme among all acts of worship. It is said to be the true form; it is said to be the best.

25.26“Brahmā, I remember once upon a time in the past I was born in the palace of a king. At that time I was a young prince named Matimat, and I remembered two verses that I heard in a dream while I was asleep. When I awoke, the thought occurred to me, ‘I have found a great treasure,’ and I blurted out the words ‘I have found a great treasure!’ My parents said, ‘How could a child have found a treasure?’ [F.202.a] Then I spoke these two verses to my parents:

25.29“I heard these two verses in a dream, Brahmā, and with these two verses, Brahmā, I brought eight thousand beings to maturity for the sake of their awakening, and I put forty-two thousand beings on a path to the good places of rebirth. In precisely this manner, Brahmā, you should understand that one obtains a great treasure if one is intent upon learning, and being intent upon it, one practices it correctly, and having become established in its practice, one benefits others.

25.30“There are two things, Brahmā, that are of great use on the Great Vehicle: first, not having anger toward any and all beings, and second, not becoming complacent in the search for learning. Those are the two things.

25.31“Therefore, Brahmā, ensure that the guiding principles of the Dharma remain unbroken. Request all the realized ones of this Fortunate Eon to teach the Dharma, Brahmā, and remember the true Dharma. When there are such pure beings as those who will arise to become the other blessed buddhas of this Fortunate Eon, Brahmā, you may become indifferent to it. However, during a time such as this one in which beings have afflictions, Brahmā, there will be a great many who hold on to the true Dharma in one aspect or for a single day. In the purified buddha domains, it would not be so, even for hundreds of thousands of eons. Therefore, Brahmā, you should put forth heroic effort so that the true Dharma is remembered in this time of evil.”

25.32At this point, the Blessed One spoke to Venerable Ānanda: “Ānanda, [F.202.b] you must hold on to this teaching, this great mnemonic formula of the nāgas, The Chapter of Vajrapāṇi, The Secret of the Realized Ones, and remember it, recite it, and teach it in full to others. Ānanda, I entrust this formulation of the Dharma to you. Do not explain the secret and inconceivable qualities of the realized ones to common folk, Ānanda, for those beings who are attached to inferior things will be bewildered by it. Ānanda, this formulation of the Dharma is something to which it is quite difficult to become devoted and something that is quite difficult to understand. Only those beings who are well bred and well prepared are worthy recipients of these things. They will have no fear when they hear this series of guiding principles of the Dharma.”

25.33When this had been said, Venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One: “I have received this formulation of the Dharma, Blessed One, through the majestic power of the Buddha. Through whose majestic power shall I become capable of retaining it? Please explain this.”

25.34“Ānanda,” the Blessed One answered, “do you see these mahāsattvas who have arisen in order to take hold of the true Dharma?”

“I see them, Blessed One.”

25.35“Ānanda,” said the Blessed One, “if you were to teach this formulation of the Dharma to all those beings, it would only be to their benefit.”

25.36“Blessed One, what is the name of this formulation of the Dharma? As what should it be remembered?”

“To that end, Ānanda,” the Blessed One answered, “remember this formulation of the Dharma as The Chapter of Vajrapāṇi. Remember it also as The Chapter of the Teaching of the Secrets of the Realized Ones. Remember it also as The Teaching of the Inconceivable Qualities of the Buddhas. Remember it also as The Arising of Immeasurable Merit. Ānanda, if an individual who has been born into the Vehicle of the Bodhisattvas were to remember well this formulation of the Dharma and teach it in full to others with no expectation of reward, [F.203.a] then this individual would gain far more merit than an individual could hope to gain as a result of giving a gift that fills the world with precious jewels from the surface of the ground of the buddha domains up to the highest point of existence, a sight that is seen with the eye of a buddha. That is why this formulation of the Dharma is called both The Chapter of the Teaching of the Secrets of the Realized Ones and The Arising of Immeasurable Merit.”

25.37When this chapter on the entrusting of the true Dharma had been taught, ten billion beings conceived the aspiration for unsurpassable and perfect awakening, ninety-six thousand bodhisattvas gained the state of acceptance, eighty-four thousand beings attained the pure eye of Dharma in regard to all things, and one thousand six hundred monks were liberated in mind, while an immeasurable number of buddha domains throughout the ten directions shook, and hundreds of thousands of gods played musical instruments and rained down showers of flowers, while proclaiming, “May this formulation of the Dharma remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa!”

25.38This is what the Blessed One said, and Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, the bodhisattva Śāntamati, the god Bhadrarāja, King Ajātaśatru, and the bodhisattvas, the monks, Venerable Ānanda, and the whole world with its gods, human beings, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced at what the Blessed One had said.

25.39This was the twenty-fifth chapter, “Entrusting the True Dharma.”

25.40This concludes “The Chapter of the Teaching the Inconceivable Qualities and Secret of the Realized Ones,” the third of the one hundred thousand chapters of the formulation of the Dharma known as “The Noble Great Heap of Jewels.”